Is the diesel engine really dead?
Given the political commentary on diesel cars, you would be forgiven for thinking that diesel cars are no longer in production or that you should not (morally, ethically or financially) procure a diesel car.
While there has been a mass of speculation to suggest that diesel vehicles are the enemy of the environment (and the world), there has been nothing formal which has been put in place by the Government which suggest that there are going to be penalties for those private or company car drivers who procure a diesel vehicle.
There has been notions of cities like Manchester and Liverpool introducing charges for vehicles which are designated as extra-polluting. The obvious issue is that diesel cars are still very much in mass production and are still heavily supplied across the UK.
It really does beg big questions as to how the Government intends to “rectify” this situation.
However, as of yet, there is nothing which we can confirm on the matter…
To confuse matters customers are asking when is it suitable to have a diesel vehicle? If you are a low-mileage driver covering less than 10,000 miles and are doing shorter start/stop journeys, a petrol vehicle will be more suitable for you. Part of the reason for this, is that a diesel vehicle needs the DPF to become hot enough to clear the harmful emissions.
If it does not become hot enough, the DPF will become blocked and the customer will, at their own cost, have to organise this to be cleaned.
There has been issues of customers covering nominal mileage per annum and electing to take a diesel car because it suggests the MPG will be phenomenal. Add to that the VW (and other manufacturers) becoming involved in high profile scandals and you can see why customers are continuing to be confused.